Head of Theater Department
Artistic Director of beWritopia Lab's Best Playwrights' Festival
Playwriting and Screenwriting Teacher
Language Play Teacher
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 Dan Kitrosser has been teaching year-round at Writopia since 2007. He teaches musical theater, playwriting, language play, and fiction workshops, and also produces and directs Writopia Lab's annual Best Playwrights' Festival. Dan is the resident storyteller at Central Park and an award-winning playwright. His plays and musicals have appeared at Urban Stages, 45 Bleecker Theatre, The Ohio Theatre, The Brooklyn Lyceum and American Place Theatre. His children's musical, NIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLY, has been declared "a winning original musical!" by TimeOut Kids, and had an extended Off-Broadway run. He was the recipient of the 2010 Brooklyn Arts Council Grant for his one-man musical THE LEGEND OF ICHABOD CRANE (Halloween Pick - Village Voice) which he continues to tour around the city. At Writopia, six of Dan's students have won "Best Play" in Stephen Sondheim's 2008, 2009, and 2010 Write a Play! contests, and many others were named finalists or won honorable mentions. A graduate of NYU, Dan's screenplays include Old Days, directed by Matt Shapiro and starring Brad Oscar (Tony Nomination, The Producers) and Mary Beth Piel (Dawson's Creek) and Bodybuilder Island, directed by Matthew Kliegman. Dan has been a final committee judge for the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival for four years (this coming summer will be his fifth). Dan's play Be Here Now won this festival and was a finalist in Stephen Sondheim's National Playwriting Competition.
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Director
 Terry Berliner is a New York-based director and writer who specializes in developing and directing new plays and musicals. Broadway credits include The Lion King, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, The Sound of Music and The Red Shoes. Off Broadway credits include Time and Again, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Captains Courageous, Violet and Merrily We Roll Along. In 2008 Ms. Berliner received the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critic's Circle Award for her production of Bingo and a Roe Green Artist Grant for direction of the new musical Beneath the Surface (byCaroline Murphy and Brett Macias).Off Off Broadway, Festivals and other NY credits include Cloaked (by 2011 Jonathan Larson award winners Danny Larson and Michelle Marie Elliot), The Maiden’s Prayer (by Nicky Silver), By Proxy and One Thing I Like To Say Is (by Amy Fox), Room 407 (by Jeffrey James Keyes), Emma (by Joel Adlen), The Mercy Seat (by Neil LaBute), Spine (by Bill C. Davis), The York Theatre Company Gala, TheatreWorks USA Gala, 7 seasons of the Drama Desk Awards Show and Allegro (City Center Encores). Her direction and choreography have been seen in regional theatres such as the La Jolla Playhouse, McCarter Theatre, Geva Theatre Center and Arena Stage. Ms. Berliner has written for American Theatre magazine, Theatre Bay Area magazine and Theatre History Studies. She is a member of the Lucille Lortel Voting Committee and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. She currently serves as the associate artistic director for Fidelity FutureStage (a playwriting program for New York City Public School students).
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Director
 Kevin R. Free is one of NYTheatre.com’s 15 people of the year for 2010, because of his “outstanding, noteworthy contributions to the New York theatre scene.” As a director, Mr. Free assisted Martha Banta on Barbara’s Blue Kitchen in readings in Florida and NYC, and went on as Assistant Director in the show’s Off-Broadway run. Passionate about the solo show format, he also developed and directed Elizabeth Stewart’s Racist is My Middle Name for the Estrogenius Festival in 2010. Mr. Free has directed several productions performed by young people, including Godspell, The Big Bad Musical, and A Year with Frog and Toad. As an actor, Mr. Free has appeared on national television in commercials and on NBC’s Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. New York audiences have seen Mr. Free Off-Broadway, creating the role of Memphis in From My Hometown both for Amas Musical Theatre and at the Gramercy Theatre, for which he was nominated for an Audelco Award. He was also seen Off-Broadway at the York Theatre in Taking A Chance On Love, and as Bubber Brown in The New Federal Theatre’s acclaimed The Conjure Man Dies, and as one of the ninjas in Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower at the Zipper. He is an alumnus of the New York Neo-Futurists, with whom he wrote and and performed regularly in Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (www.nynf.org), and is a 2009 It Award recipient for Outstanding Ensemble for his work with the Neos on (Not) Just A Day Like Any Other. Once a regular contributor the NPR show “News & Notes, “ Mr. Free’s voice can now be heard on the World Premiere Recording of the musical Avenue X and numerous audio books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Known World (AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award) and Say You’re One of Them (Oprah’s Book Club) and Rick Riordan’s latest, The Red Pyramid. His one-man play, Face Value, about the life of an African-American Country/Western singer, premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival and was a recipient of a grant from the Henry Street Settlement’s Playwrights’ Project in 2000 and was a finalist in the Mill Mountain Theatre New Play Competition in 2003, and his newest play, A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays for White People, had its world premiere at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival. He is now the Artistic Director of Educational Programming for Queens Theatre in the Park, directing, administering and evaluating their CentreStage program in 20 schools in Queens. In case all of the above is not enough, he’d like you to visit him at www.kevinrfree.com.
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Director
 Dutch/Irish film director Finbarr Wilbrink enjoyed an acting career as a teenager in the Netherlands, playing the lead role in the Dutch feature De Kersenpluk (1996). He then traveled to his Irish mother’s country to step behind the camera and study film at the Irish National Film School in Dublin. He has directed a number of short films, drama series and comedy sketch shows. In 2008 he won a development award at the Torino Film Lab for his ‘feature in development’ Lawless. In 2010 he attended the Binger directors lab in Amsterdam. Currently his feature documentary The NY Pizza Confessions is in the last stage of post-production and he continues to work on Lawless with Dublin based production company Zanzibar Films. His favorite food is pizza and he has watched the film Gladiator over 14 times.
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Director
 Teresa K. Pond is happy to be directing for Writopia Lab. She directs in New York City and regionally across the USA: off-Broadway her NYC production of Pinkalicious is in an extended run. Other NYC credits such as: Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing & NY Fringe award-winner Half Life. Regionally her musicals, opera, comedies and dramas include shows such as Caroline or Change, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Macbeth (L.A. Times review), The Clean House, Nickel and Dimed, The Foreigner; Suor Angelica, Pagliacci, Barber of Seville and Amahl and the Night Visitors. – A proud member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).
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Director
 Jeremiah Zagar is an award winning director and editor. His first feature length film, the documentary In a Dream, premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, where it received the Emerging Visions Audience Award. At the 2008 Philadelphia Film Festival, it received the award for Best First Film and later aired on HBO year later, where it recieved two Emmy nominations. Zagar's The Unbelievable Truth was a semi-finalist in the student Academy Awards, screened at Tribeca and was named 'Best Narrative Short' in the Philadelphia Film Festival. Zagar's Baby Eat Baby premiered at the 2004 Florida Film Festival and was named "Best Experimental Short" at the Atlanta Film Festival. His short film Coney Island, 1945 was a precursor to In A Dream. It tells the story of his father's artistic awakening as a young boy in Coney Island. The short premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and went on to screen at SXSW, the Hamptons, and the Times bfi London Film Festival. It also aired on WNET Channel 13 in New York as part of the Reel NY Film Festival. Zagar's first feature-length screenplay, Paper Giant, was given the Irene I. Parisi award in the Set Philadelphia Screenwriting Competition
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Director
 Edward Elefterion is the Artistic Director and a founding member of Rabbit Hole Ensemble. He was recently nominated by the NYIT Awards for Outstanding Choreography/Movement for his work on Shadow of Himself. Awards: Outstanding Director, New York Innovative Theatre Award 2008; Outstanding Director, Midtown International Theatre Festival 2007. Recent work includes Doctor Frankenstein's Magical Creature, The Tragic Story of Doctor Frankenstein; Before Your Very Eyes; Candide Americana (FringeNYC 2009); Shadow of Himself (world premiere by Neal Bell); Big Thick Rod (FringeNYC 2008); The Night of Nosferatu; A Rope in the Abyss; Land of the Undead; The Transformation of Doctor Jekyll (FringeNYC 2006); and The Siblings (MITF 2006). He directed the world premiere of Therese Raquin by Neal Bell in 1991 at New York University, and acclaimed productions In the Jungle of Cities, Macbeth, and The Misanthrope. He was a guest director at The Juilliard School in 1993 where he directed If She Screams by Stanton Wood. Memberships: Lincoln Center Directors Lab; New York Theatre Workshop's artistic community (The Usual Suspects.) Education: BFA from NYU's TISCH School of the Arts; MFA from Indiana University. He has been teaching acting at Hofstra University for the past 10 years and offers various theatre-creating classes in NYC.
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Director
 Reginald L. Douglas is the 2011 Van Lier Directing Fellow at the Lark Play Development Center. Directing credits include: NYC: BillClydeOwen (NYU), Fold the Close (Access Theatre), The Sweat (Emerging Artists Theatre), The Body Washer (Rapscallions), Sarah Opts Out, The Hedge Fun, Small World and others; McCarter Theatre: Amari’s Tomorrow; Georgetown University: …And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi (DC premiere), The House of Blue Leaves, Brill. Reginald has assistant directed for Emily Mann, Sam Buntrock, Daniel Beaty, Ethan McSweeny, Michael Unger, May Adrales, Peter DuBois, Jo Bonney, Lynn Nottage, and others. A nominee for the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s prestigious Gielgud and Ockrent Fellowships, Reginald will next work as the Assistant Director on the world premiere productions of Adriana Sevhan Nichols’ Nights over Erzinga, directed by Daniella Topol (Lark Play Development Center) and All New People by Zach Braff, directed by Peter DuBois (Second Stage Theatre, Summer 2011).
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Director
 Amanda Kate Joshi is a director, producer and Artistic Director of Wizard Oil Productions, a company she founded in 2005. Last spring their show, Empire of the Trees, by Adam Kraar, was nominated for Best Original Script by the Innovative Theatre Awards. She has worked with and directed for numerous companies around the city and state, including New Dramatists, The Exchange, Summer Play Festival at The Public, Roundtable Ensemble, The Indo-American Arts Council and Abingdon Theatre Company (where she also staffs the box office!). She is a member of the Lark Play Development Company's Literary Wing, as well as an Associate Member of At Play. She currently works as Tony Walton's Associate Director and Personal Assistant on various projects and shows in New York and in East Hampton.
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Actor
 Andrew Davies is an Actor, writer, and director living in New York City. He co-wrote and performed in the off-broadway kid's musical, Blizzard the Wizard at Urban Stages. His newest project is a kid's comedy show using bible stories which can be seen at www.TheBiblePlayers.com Some of Andrew's other New York City credits include Candide at The Gallery Players, Billy Budd at the Metropolitan Playhouse, Macbeth at the American Theatre of Actors, and Short Love at the Ohio Theatre. Andrew would like to thank Dan, Rebecca, and Jeremy for their talent, passion, and vision.
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Actor
 Karen Eilbacher holds a BFA in Drama with Honors from The Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She has studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City, as well as the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her work includes productions with Working Man’s Clothes Productions (She Like Girls, GLAAD Award 2010), Ensemble Studio Theatre (May Adrales Dir.), La MaMa ETC (Liz Swados Dir.), Lear deBessonet Dir., Tea Alagic Dir., The Lark Play Development Center and Dramatic Question Theatre in New York City. Upcoming work: Independent Cinema Line's indie-feature film, Coward, Curtis Easley’s feature film, Clouded and any next project that she can get her hands on as Director! See more at Kareneilbacher.com
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Actor
 Stephanie Acevedo is an Actress, Singer, and Comedienne. Stephanie is a graduate of the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts (NY), has studied Improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade, and acting with Howard Fine at the Howard Fine Studio in Hollywood. She is an active member of the National Comedy Theatre performing weekly family friendly Improv shows in Mid-town Manhattan. Having performed as a Stand-up Comedienne for 5 years, she has had the pleasure of working with many talented comics including Jim Gaffigan, Chuck Nice and Judah Friedlander. Stephanie feels very blessed and excited to be a part of the Writopia Playwrights' Festival and wishes all of the actors, and young playwrights much success with their artistic endeavors.
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Actor
 Paul Fears has appeared in various plays all over NYC including Bekah Brunstetter’s “To Nineveh” for which he won the NYIT Award for “Best Ensemble”. He also appeared recently on Biography Channel’s “Celebrity Ghost Stories” and the feature films “Calling it Quits” and “SubterraNYa”. Look for him as the “Ultimate Player” in the feature film “The Oranges” coming to theatres this September. Paul is honored to be a part of the Writopia Playrights' Festival where he gets to time travel and bring back the exciting new dreams of tomorrow’s fresh blood. His hope is that that one kid who never thought he could do it will realize he sure as heck can.
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Actor
 Emily Hartford is a founding member and the Director of Development for Rabbit Hole Ensemble. Off Broadway: The Contrast (Mirror Repertory Company). Regional/Tours: The Tell-Tale Heart (Urban Stages), The Night of Nosferatu (Rabbit Hole Ensemble at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre). With Rabbit Hole Ensemble: Candide Americana, Shadow of Himself, Big Thick Rod, A Rope in the Abyss, The Night of Nosferatu (New York Innovative Theatre Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble), The Morning of My Death, Land of the Undead, Nosferatu, The Transformation of Dr. Jekyll. Film/TV: Julia (Existential Entertainment), World’s Astonishing News (Nippon Television Network, Japan), The Weekend (Warner Bros. Home Video). Emily has also designed puppets for Urban Stages, 45 Bleecker Theater, and Rabbit Hole Ensemble. She is thrilled to be participating in the Writopia Playwrights' Festival for the second time--many thanks to Dan for asking!
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Actor
 Evan Greene is an actor, music director, and producer in New York City. Acting credits include Night of the Butterfly (45 Bleecker), The less we talk… with Hoi Polloi (Ontological-Hysteric Incubator), A Grimm Reality with THEATRE 4the PEOPLE, A Dolphin Up A Tree (Daryl Roth Theatre), CHURCH with Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company (PS122 and The Public Theatre), I Paid Enough (Darknight Productions), Only in New York (Darknight Productions), The Shadow in the New York Storytellers series of Fables for Grown-Ups, The King Is Dead (Highwire Theatre) and Wreckage by Caridad Svich (Testing the Line 2008). Evan is co-creator of Night of the Butterfly, a children’s musical that had an extended Off-Broadway run in 2009, and is managing director of THEATRE 4the PEOPLE. He is thrilled and honored to be back for year two of the Writopia Playwrights' Festival. Many thanks to Dan, Writopia, and Ashley.
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Actor
 Catherine DeCioccio NY: Choice (Culture Project), Romeo & Juliet (Crash Theatre), Midsummer Nights Dream, The Rimers of Eldritch (Theater Unplugged), Bob Dylan in the Bathroom (Gallery Players). Regional: How to Lock Up...(Edinburgh Fringe Festival) Betty’s Summer Vacation (Pit), Hangar Theatre Lab. Web: Preggers (CillHill). Film: Percipi (Cyko), Ingrown Toenails (Flying Pygmalian), Portraits (TallWoman Productions), Who She Was (NYU/MFA). Catie has a BFA in Acting from Otterbein College and studies in NY with MTB Studio. www.CatherineDeCioccio.com
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Actor
 Kara Ayn Napolitano, as a performer has recently been seen in Life Recital (30 minute musical) at Roy Arias and Theater for the New City, Captain Marbles... (children's musical) at 45 Bleeker, and A Grimm Reality in Bryant Park; as a vocalist she has performer her own folk/rock/comedy music all over Manhattan and now sings with the rock/jam band Mr. Hunter ( www.mrhunterband.com); produced plays include Life Recital (Roy Arias, 2011 and Theater for the New City, 2010) and Plane Play (Under St. Marks, 2010). She co-founded the company Drift In Act Out, which has produced two short play festivals. She teaches TriYoga and Speech Level Singing and thinks music, theater and yoga are pretty freaking cool, aiming to spend most of her time in them.
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Actor
 Annie graduated last year from NYU with a BFA from Tisch. Recent credits include The Death/Memory Project at New York Theatre Workshop and a recurring role on One Life to Live, and she is currently shooting a new episodic. She enjoys autobiographical performance pieces and new works
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Actor
  Zack Friedman is an award-winning writer and performer whose plays include The Suite Life, Crazy (Philadelphia Playwrights Award winners), Praying for Grace (Harold & Mimi Steinberg Prize- Best Original Play; PlayersTime & WritingBloc official selection), the children's musical Night of the Butterfly which enjoyed an extended run at the Bleecker Street Theater, and the Brothers Grimm adaptation A Grimm Reality at Bryant Park (Isaac Byrne, dir.). Acting credits include Orestes (Michel Hausmann, dir.), The Laramie Project (Candace Brown, dir.), The Winter's Tale (Tina Packard, dir.) Secret Lives of the Sexists (Oliver Butler, dir.), The Corner Table at the Cafe Noir at the Boston Play Slam. Family theater productions include Treasure Island for the Paint Box Theater Company, A Dolphin Up a Tree at the DR2, Night of the Butterfly, and A Grimm Reality. He is a graduate of the American Theater Wing's Springboard program and holds a B.A. in Theater Arts and English Literature from Brandeis University.
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Actor
 Tory Dube is always doing actor-y things and such. She is super excited to perform with this year's Playwrights' Festival and so very thankful for the inspiration the superstar playwrights have provided throughout this process. ToryDube.com
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Actor
 Edward is thankful to be part of this fantastic team that is helping new voices get their work created and into the world. He has a passion for vital theater that deals with issues of today. Thank you Dan and Kara for your wonderful support!
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